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Monthly Archives: June 2014

3 Powerful Moments

I drove along a rocky and winding trail to a series of cute white cabins and a larger building that I would later discover is the dining hall. Though I have done a million presentations and workshops before, the butterflies were there reminding me that I will always be 10 at heart.

Moment 1 – The Energy

As I stepped into the dining hall, I could feel the energy coming from this group of powerful young women. Smiles, waves and friendly glances in my direction as I walked through the space – that’s all it took to pull me into their energy.

Moment 2 – The Sound

The chanting began. Without instruction or request, the girls began to sing a song. It sounded like nonsense words at first, but a song book was quickly offered so that I could follow along. They simply love to sing and chant fun songs with empowering lyrics.

Moment 3 – The Fearlessness

Suddenly it was my turn to stand up. We went around the room offering up what we want to be one day. There was a ton of honesty in the “I don’t knows” and confidence in those who said multiple careers at once. No fear in this group.

46 Girls Changed My View

Last weekend I had the pleasure of being the Bright Lights Speaker at Camp Lantern Creek (also called CLC) in Montgomery, Texas. CLC is the camp that you send your incredible daughter to so that she can try a little bit of everything with other awesome girls while surrounded by the beautiful outdoors. They coin the camp’s focus as developing renaissance girls, but it is so much more than that.

For a while, I thought that it was most important for me to be working with women in college and in their twenties. Those are the women who need the most help with understanding business, finance and how to succeed – right? No! If you delay learning or thinking about these things, then it is much harder to develop the critical skills related to being successful.

Tweens and teens – that’s where it’s at.

During the hour and a half that I spent with these 46 powerful young women, I could see that today’s girls are the risk takers, creative thinkers, and collaborative workers of tomorrow. It was in the small moments throughout the day that I saw glimpses of powerful leaders and entrepreneurs. I could see more potential in a 12 year old girl than I’ve seen in most any adult that I’ve met.

If you want to shape the world in a positive image, then start with the girls.

Success is defined differently for everyone; however, facing difficulties on the road to success is a common denominator for anyone pursuing his or her passions.

What separates those who see their dreams through and those who don’t is the ability to do what others will not. Everyone can dream of eventual success, but accomplishing one’s goals requires taking on the difficult tasks and functions for which many people do not have the courage or stamina.

Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”

Taking on the hard tasks time and time again is what defines a person’s character and generates the most rewarding results. Success is not a tangible product. It is a lifestyle and a mindset. And those who have found their version of success did not avoid the most difficult steps.

Here are the 30 hardest things you need to do to be successful:

1. End friendships if they are not beneficial to your overall goals.

2. Prove the doubters right by making mistakes, before proving them wrong in the long run.

3. Realize if you are unable to maintain a romantic relationship.

4. Avoid the “fake it ’til you make it” belief and focus only on making it.

5. Allow the idea of “the greater the risk, the greater the reward” to lead your actions.

6. Fail with your head held high.

7. Wake up earlier than others.

8. Maintain self-worth even when nobody else sees your value.

9. Talk about ideas, not people.

10. Put in more than you get in return at first.

11. Stick to a strict schedule, even if it makes less time for excessive fun and relaxation.

12. Over-deliver, don’t over-promise.

13. Respect the competition.

14. Support the success of others, rather than hoping they fail.

15. Understand that the first version of your idea may not be the best.

16. Sacrifice your social life and weekends.

17. Admit you need help and ask others for guidance.

18.Turn the complex into simple, so people can best share your vision.

19. Be accountable for all failures without blaming others.

20. Accept insecurity and fear as unavoidable emotions.

21. Don’t actively seek credit for success.

22. Track finances to the penny.

23. Celebrate the small victories even if the end goal is far away.

24. Don’t spread yourself too thin.

25. Embrace change and adapt accordingly.

26. Place money at the end of your priority list.

27. Don’t overthink and learn to trust your gut feeling.

28. Do what others would say is an impossible task, without making excuses or feeling like a victim.

29. Get up after getting knocked down, stronger and more prepared than before.

Like this:

Just in case it wasn’t obvious already, my oldest and most personal passion is musical performance. Living in a city with the tagline Live Music Capital should make it easy for me to get what I need, but I’m not always so sure about it. But I am a Broadway brat, and New York will always be my hometown.

Broadway Background

The first time I saw the lights of Broadway, I was about 9 or 10 years old. It was on the way home from seeing the Radio City Christmas Spectacular – a family tradition for a few years. In that moment, my gut and every nerve ending in my body reacted. It wasn’t about the lights themselves, but about what was lying beyond those lights. I could get lost in the incredible talent, music and stories of Broadway. I knew this even before seeing my first Broadway show. It is the only instance of love at first sight that I have ever experienced.

For my twelfth birthday, mom and dad bought tickets for the whole family to see Les Miserables. I was never the same again. From the moment that the curtain went up my entire life became about that stage. Through the years I’ve been on stage, back stage, promoting what’s happening on stage, and simple in the seats enjoying the story unfolding on the stage. No matter where I was in life, Broadway was my perfect escape. It was a place where I could laugh, cry, and feel changed. (Funny side note: I specifically became obsessed with Les Mis).

Growing From My Passion

Since musical performances are clearly my passion, I have always found my way into roles that reflected that – Broadway marketing, Carnegie Hall, etc. One day I realized that my biggest strength was not in my passion, but how I expressed it. I was writing and speaking about music with clarity and high energy, and the people listening or reading were picking up on that spirit and becoming my audience. I had created my own stage.

After moving to Austin, my participation in musical performance dropped to zero. It’s not because options are limited, but it’s because… well there is just no Broadway here. That is a terrible reason, I know.

So now what do I do? How do I re-inject my passion for musical performance back into my life?